Maserati’s sound is epic. Not epic in its slang sense, but epic in the sense of greatness. Though only four (currently three) men, the Athens, Georgia-based instrumental post-rock outfit has a knack for evoking a mélange of emotions and producing full, boisterous pieces, without singing a word.

Pyramid of the Sun, the band’s third album on Temporary Residence Limited, begins with “Who Can Find the Beast?”, a brusque, two-and-a-half minute track that progresses in intensity, but with a sense of urgency, as a beat is set and rapidly built upon with pedal-laden guitars, atmospheric sounds, and primal screams. The opener seamlessly merges into the album’s title song, which brilliantly showcases the paradox that is Maserati. Like the band’s general sound, “Pyramid of the Sun,” is simultaneously roving and focused, primal and sophisticated, chaotic and structured. The powerful rhythm guitar, bass, and drums pave the song’s direction, while treble-heavy guitar riffs scurry atop, testing the aptitude of the rhythm section to stay its course.

This chase-like sensation carries on throughout the remainder of the album. Songs build on, and complement, each other; instruments challenge one another; emotions are evoked, and strengthened, from one song to the next, which makes this record feel as though it were one continuous track.

As the album progresses, perhaps the most convincing emotions exuded are fear, longing, and acceptance. The record’s first three tracks radiate a tense, almost jumbled feeling with their concise, importunate structures (or lack thereof). The album’s mood changes drastically on the fourth and sixth tracks, “They’ll No More Suffer From Thirst,” and, “They’ll No More Suffer From Hunger,” two cheery, danceable songs spawned from electronica influences.. The piece finally finds acceptance in the beautiful, spiritualized ending track, “Bye M-friend, Goodbye.”

Though the record can be seen as a generalized “journey” concept album, the emotive themes carry a more personal load on the band members. On November 8, 2009, Maserati’s drummer Jerry Fuchs—who also played for the likes of !!!, LCD Soundsystem and MSTRKRFT—met his untimely death while in the process of recording Pyramid of the Sun. The tragedy almost eradicated the release of the album, but Fuchs’ band members decided to finish the record as a tribute to their late band mate, giving him the most appropriate of sendoffs.

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